Diet Delight: Charles Is Up To Scale

July 25, 1986|By ANDY COHEN, Staff Writer

MIAMI -- The much-anticipated fourth annual Mike Charles Weigh-In was held in the solitude of the Dolphins locker room Thursday morning. There was no truth to the rumor that a truck scale had to be brought in.

For those who had office pools, the wait is over. Make it the weight is over.

The winning number was 296. The good news is that Charles has dropped 14 pounds since reporting 11 days ago.

The bad news is he is 8 pounds over his assigned weight, 288. Charles was fined $25 Thursday for each excess pound and will be hit with similar daily fines until he reaches 288.

Is Charles concerned? Fat chance.

``I weighed 310 pounds when I got here, so I`m real pleased,`` he said. ``I`ll be down to my assigned weight in a couple of days. I`ve proved to myself I can do it.``

Peggy DeMars, the dietitian who has been walking through the food line with Charles, counting every calorie, also was impressed.

``He scared me at first because it`s not good to try to lose all that weight so quickly. But Mike has done real well,`` she said.

So well that even coach Don Shula had some good things to say about Charles, which doesn`t happen very often.

``He seems to be working hard,`` Shula said. ``He`s showing me that he cares.``

Charles suffered a sprained knee in the afternoon practice, but it isn`t believed to be serious.

Free-agent wide receiver Terry Shaw was the only other player over his assigned weight. Punter Reggie Roby dropped six pounds Wednesday night to make his assigned 242 pounds. ``I did a lot of running,`` he said.

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Tackle Eric Laakso worked out for the coaches Thursday morning, but no decision has been made whether to re-sign him.

Laakso ran the 40-yard dash and took a few agility tests. ``I think I did a good job. I didn`t have any problems with my knee,`` he said.

However, offensive line coach John Sandusky said Laakso ``didn`t run like he did before.``

Laakso was released by the Dolphins in November after his knee injury didn`t respond as hoped. He said he has been offered a 1-year contract with another team but prefers to stay in Miami.

``We`re also negotiating with a few other teams,`` he said. ``I feel like I`m going to play somewhere.``

Laakso passed a team physical Monday. Shula said he would want Laakso only if he can begin practice without needing any more rehabilitation. There is some concern whether Laakso can.

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NOTES: Rookie offensive lineman John Stuart injured his shoulder in Wednesday`s practice and will undergo an arthrogram today to determine the extent of the injury. . . Linebacker Charles Bowser has gotten the news on his upcoming surgery, and the operation will be a major one. Bowser`s injured left ankle will require a bone graft, his third operation in a year. Doctors will take a bone from his knee and put it on the surface of his ankle joint. He will be operated on Tuesday. ``That will put him out of the picture for a lengthy period of time,`` Shula said.

As expected, Bowser and offensive linemen Jon Giesler (knee) and Jeff Toews (knee) were designated as physically unable to perform Thursday. Shula can take them off the ``unable`` list when the roster is cut to 60 on Aug. 19. If left on it, they can be evaluated in mid-October. . . Tony Nathan (tight hamstring) did not practice Thursday. Woody Bennett suffered a sprained ankle.

Defensive tackle Bill Barnett won the 12-minute run for linemen Thursday morning, completing five laps and 200 yards (a lap is 475 yards). . . Linebackers Hugh Green and Mark Brown and defensive back Robert Sowell made their assigned distance after failing in earlier attempts. . . Linebacker Robin Sendlein was operated on Thursday for a torn medial collateral ligament. He`ll be out a minimum of 10 weeks. . . The entire squad will be tested for drugs today, the one time designated in the collective bargaining agreement.

Family Day will be Sunday in the Orange Bowl. Players will be available for autographs at 6:15 p.m. A 90-minute practice will follow at 7:30.